IEP Meeting Update

Today's IEP meeting was a HUGE success! I'm so excited it went so well!

We started off our day by dropping Logan off at my neighbor's house (Mary...many thank you's to you for watching Logan...I so very much appreciate your help) so that I would only have Carson to contend with during our meeting. We got to the school about 15 minutes early because I wanted to make sure the coffee was made prior to folks showing up. However, when we arrived at the classroom, the door was locked!! ARGH...what are we going to do?? Carson was the one that came up with the solution! He says, "Mom, next door is the computer lab. Let's go see if the door is unlocked." The door WAS unlocked, so we went inside. Carson then says "Mom, see that door there? If we go through it, it leads to Mrs. K's classroom." Sure enough...he was right! and BINGO, instant access to the classroom! I was a bit apprehensive about being there with the door having been locked, but hey, I'm living on the edge, right? And besides, I brought coffee, banana muffins and fruit...any trouble we would be in would quickly be fixed by feeding them!

So folks quickly started arriving and saw the food spread and made comments like, "WOW, we've never had ANY parent do this before" (OK...nice complement, but now I've just set a pattern for expectations of future meetings). "Maybe we should review Carson's IEP monthly" (LOL...not necessary...they just want the nice treatment and yummy food! I said, "Well, I figured I'm either someones best friend or their worst enemy" (best friend for bringing food...worst enemy for breaking into someones classroom). "Oh, you're our best friend, for sure!" OK...starting on the RIGHT foot! LOVE that!

Carson quickly entertained himself on Mrs. K's computer and was even humming the tune to some songs that were playing on the computer. Very nice that Carson wasn't trying to constantly get my attention during the meeting. Then at one point, he was escorted out to play on the playground prior to school starting.

Present at our meeting were: Principal, Psychologist, teacher, special education teacher, occupational therapist, speech therapist and myself.

So, here's what they said:

Carson is able to stay in his seat, pay attention to the teacher and is able to complete assignments.

His biggest strength is fine motor skills such as writing and drawing. He enjoys this so much that the teacher often has a hard time transitioning him AWAY from that activity, but nothing unworkable. His writing is very good compared with his peers.

He is very smart and is understanding some very difficult concepts (some concepts that many other peers are unable to grasp). For example, the teacher was teaching a lesson on 'labeling'. Draw a picture and label the things in the picture (Carson, tree, cloud, etc.,) When Carson started the project, he took the concept to the next level and drew a picture not of himself, but of his brother...and even labeled the person as Logan. His teacher was so impressed that he was able to take the assignment beyond "ME" and draw/label his world...a concept that many other children aren't able to do.

His biggest area of concern is that of socialization. He has difficulties during non-structured activities (free play, transitions, recess). He has difficulty problem solving and working through an uncomfortable situation with a peer (so he just yells, screams, hits or cries instead). Many peers have this same issue.

He continues to need help with speech articulation (pronouncing words appropriately, enunciating each syllable, etc.,).

I asked a ton of questions...how do you handle discipline (and was able to express my concerns of potentially having recess taken away from my sensory seeking kiddo who needs to get activity to help him focus in the classroom) and how loud are fire drills (have you had one and how did he do?...OK they said). Most of my wants for his IEP were proactive (like what to do if he get fidgety in the classroom, what to do if Carson gets overstimulated and needs a quiet space to go to, is his seating appropriate for his needs, what to do if he is unable to complete assignments asked of him in the classroom, etc., But, rightfully so, the school cannot add an IEP goal/objective for something that's not an issue at this time (a little frustrating, but we can meet again to fine tune the IEP if this becomes an issue).

We talked about him still needing a TON of sleep (10 hours at night and 3-4 hour nap during the day)...thank God we are in 1/2 day Kindergarten (Oh...I don't even want to start thinking about what we'll be doing next year when he HAS to do full day school!!). Part of Carson's need for so much sleep is because this is what he needs in order to keep himself together in the classroom (that's how much work it takes to hold himself together and for him to be successful!)

I was happy to find out that there is a special education teacher that spends about 30-45 minutes/day in Carson's classroom (not just for him), helping the students and working closely with the teacher to problem solve issues. They've found that this is a more favorable model than pulling specific students OUT of the classroom. It keeps them 'integrated' with a general education enviroment...which is what the school district considers 'least restrictive'.

I did ask to be notified when his teacher will not be present in the classroom (and they agreed to do that). From my experiences with previous daycare environments, Carson's behavior becomes out of control when he doesn't know about this change in his routine. By being notified ahead of time, I can coach him and read him a social story about this change in his routine...and hopefully be better prepared to handle that. These little guys get awfully attached to their teacher!

We decided that we no longer needed formal occupational therapy intervention, but she would be available on an 'as needed' basis.

We continued with some speech articulation, socialization and transition goals.

They kept saying that they were more than willing to reconvene the team should things change with Carson in the classroom (behavior, academics, etc.,).

I was ecstatic that they wanted to continue him with an IEP and there was NO way I was going to let Carson lose that asset in his education!!

I was highly impressed with the team members and excited to see that we were all on the same page and had the same objective...to help Carson be successful in the school setting!

Thank you all for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! This is a very nerve wracking process and I always go into it being a bit apprehensive!

WOW...that was a long post! Thanks for sticking with me to the end! :)